Portable liquid dispensing device



Jan- 1, 1957 L. T. HAMNER PORTABLE: LIQUID DIsPENsING DEVICE Filed Feb. l5, 1955 INVENTOR ewz's Z'HamW/er I) ZZ/1,17(

Illf'r ATTORNEYS United States Patent' O."

p 2,775,988 PORTABLE LIQUID DISPENSING DEVICE Lewis T. Hamner, Petersburg, Va. Application February 1s, 195s, seal No. 488,277

7 claims. (ci. 14n-sos) The invention relates generally to liquid dispensing devices and primarily seeks vto provide an inexpensively constructed liquid dispensing device which is readily portable and is adapted for accurately dispensing liquid without danger of dripping.

An object of the invention is to provide` a liquid dispensing device including a portable handle supporting a filler head engageable without sealingagainst a receptacle to be filled, there being included an inverted and sealed fill supply container and control devices operable by a hand grasping and supporting thedevice to accurately control the dispensing of liquid.

An object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device of the character stated wherein are included liquid venting and filling ductsrcommunioating with the sealed container and opening through concentric tubes in a filler head, there being included valve means engageablel with a seat compositely formed at end portions of the tubes and manually operable by a hand supporting the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character stated wherein are included selective spacer means for determining the distance rto which the lling and venting tubes project beneath the filler head into a receptacle to be filled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device of the character stated wherein a check valve is provided in the venting duct in position for being actuated by surplus ll to discontinue the dispensing of the liquid.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fill--` ing device of the character stated wherein the filler head is connected with the container through exible filling and venting ducts so that the handle and filler head can be readily moved about during the filling of receptacles while the container is held stationary.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a ll device of the character stated wherein a transparent venting duct is employed so that an operator can observe completion of the ll by viewing closure of the check valve by contact of surplus fill liquid therewith.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation illustrating the portable dispensing device.

Figure 2 is a plan View illustrating the dispensing device of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view illustrating the dispensing device of Figures 1 and 2, por* tions of the supporting handle and the sealed iill supply container being broken away and the ller head being shown applied to a receptacle into which liquid is to-bev dispensed.

1 Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view il/v ICC of` the invention in which the iller head is connected.

with the sealed lill supply container through exible filling and venting ducts, the venting duct being at least in part transparent.

In the practical development of the invention, the irnproved, portable liquid dispensing device is formed to include an yupright handle 5 which may readily be grasped by one hand of an operator during filling operations and which is equipped at its lower end with a rigid lateral extension 6 terminating at |its outer end in an upwardly opening seat portion 7.

The seat portion 7 of the handle extension 6 is threaded at 8 to threadably receive the mouth of an inverted fill supply container 9 which may take the form of a glass or other transparent jar, a gasket ring ltl being provided on the seat so as to effectively seal the mouth of the container or reservoir against ingress of air.

A filling duet 11 is provided in the extension and opens upwardly at 12 -through Ithe seat into the interior of the container 9 sealed thereon. A venting duct 13 also is provided in the extension 6 in parallel relation to the filling duct 11, and the venting duct also opens upwardly at 14 through the container mounting seat into a vent pipe 15 threadably secured to the extension at 16 and extending upwardly to open at 17 adjacent the top of the container 9 interiorly thereof.

A filling tube 18 passes upwardly through the venting duct 13 and is threaded at 19 in the extension 6 in position for communicating with the dispensing duct 11 in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 3. A vent tube 20 surrounds the filling tube 18 in spaced relation therewith and is threaded at 21 into the extension 6 in position for communica-ting with the venting ductv 13. l-t will be apparent by reference to Figure 3 that the interior of the dispensing tube 18 and the duct 11 constitutes a liquid dispensing passage, and the venting duct 13 and the space surrounding the dispensing tube 18 within the venting tube 20 serve to provide a venting passage communicating through the vent pipe 15 with the interior of the sealed filled container 9 adjacent the extreme upper end portion thereof.

The concentrically spaced lling and venting tubes 18 and 20 pass downwardly through a filler head 22 and through selectively placeable and removable spacer disks 23 interposed between the filler head 22 and the adjacent portion of the handle and its extension. It is to be understood that by varying the number or size of the spacer means 23 the distance to which the lower end extremities of the tubes 18 and 2@ will extend beneath the filler head 22, and therefore the depth to which liquid will be filled into a receptacle, can be varied at will.

The downwardly exposed face of the filler head 22 is adapted to be placed against the receiving mouth or opening into a receptacle `such as the cream receiver indicated at 24 in Figure 3. Because of the structure and nature of applicants device the dispenser is adapatable to the filling of various forms of receptacle without regard to the shape of the receptacle proper or the receiving mouth or opening therein, it being unnecessary to effect a seal against the receptacle. The face 25 of the filler head 22 placeable against the receiving mouth of a receptacle preferably is provided with at least one venting clearance or recess in order to provide free clearance for ingress and egress of atmospheric air during a filling process.`

-Natented Jan. 1, 1957v 28 carried at the lower end of a rod 29 which is slidable at 30 in the handle 5. The handle is provided with a socket 31 at its upper end extremity in which to receive the actuator button 32 mounted on the upper end of the rod 29, and a compression spring 33 is: mounted inthe' socket beneath the button 32 and constantly tends toy pro'- ject the button and hold the ball valve 28 against the seating- 27 in` the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

Al check valve seat 34 is provided in the venting duet 13, and a check ball valve 35 is rollable on a support 36 removably mounted in the extension 6 and equipped with a stop 37 for limiting the distance through which the ball 35r is free to roll toward and from its seat 34.

When the portable dispensing device is to be used the container 9 is filled and mounted on its sealing seat in the manner illustrated in Figures l and 3. Assuming the container 9 to be filled andthe handle 5 to be grasped in the hand of an operator and placed with its filler head 22 against the receiving mouth of a receptacle 24, as shown in Figure 3, by depressing the button 32 the operator can release the ball valve 28 and permit liquid fill to be dispensed through the duct 11 and tube 18 into the receptacle, necessary venting taking place through the tube 20, the duct 13 and the venting tube 15. The liquid will tend to equalize in the vent tube 15 according to the height of the liquid in the container 9, but when returned and surplus fill liquid reaches check valve 35 it will seat the same and prevent liquid from rising further in the vent line. The end extremities of the tubes 18 and 20 may be retained in the receptacle 24 any desired time and it will be impossible to overflow the receptacle regardless of whether the operator holds the ball valve 28 in depressed position because the check valve 35 is now closed and since venting through the tube 15 is thus prevented no liquid will continue to liow through the tube 18 into the receptacle 24. By releasing the button 32 the ball valve 28 will be permitted to seat and any liquid in the tube 18 and the tube 20 and the portion of the duct 23 endwise of the seated ball valve will be retained without any danger of dripping.

The dispensing device can now be transported to another place to dispense liquid into another receptacle, and when the device is properly placed over the receptacle and the button 32 is released the filling of the receptacle will be accomplished in the manner previously described, liquid trapped in the tube 20 and in the duct 13 endwise of the seated valve being released as the ball 28 is displaced from its seat to provide for proper venting and dispensing, as before described.

It is to be understood that the size of the vent tube is determined by the viscosity of the liquid to be dispensed and the size of the liquid supply line.

It is desirable that the extension 6 be short in length so as to make the dispensing device very compact and readily portable, but it is also to be understood that the outstanding features of the invention may be employed to great benefit even though the short extension 6 connecting the handle and the container 9 be dispensed with, as by employment of flexible connecting filler and vent ducts as shown in the modified arrangement illustrated in Figure 5. ln this modified arrangement the container unit generally designated 38 and the handle and filler head unit generally designated 39 are connected by a flexible vent duct 40 and a flexible venting duct 41, the latter preferably being formed of transparent tubing so that. an Operator can see when the surplus liquid engages and closes the check valve 42 interposed in the venting duct 41, determining the completion of a fill. It will be readily apparent that the handle and filler head unit generally designated .39 may be readily moved about in effecting the filling of receptacles while the container unit generally designated 38 remains stationary.

The simple, improved. structure disclosed herein may be readily dismounted for sterilizing and cleaning, and is capable of dispensing liquids with great accuracy and 4 without danger of dripping or wastage. It is impossible for liquid being dispensed to be contaminated by human contact, flies, insects or dust since the liquid is always tightly sealed against such contamination. The whole dispenser and its contents may be placed in a refrigerating medium for storage.

The improved dispensing device operates without danger of overow because when a receptacle has been filled to the desired height liquid will automatically close the vent valve in the manner previously described and discontinue the filling operation. Should an operator fail to release the actuator button 32, 29, 28A when a desired fill is completed,lno overfiowing will result because of the automatic closing of the vent by the liquid sealing function.

Any desired size of container can be used, and it will be apparent by reference to Figure 5 that the same may be lled through the top, a control valve 43 in such instance preferably being included so that the desired airtight condition of the container may be maintained.

While specic example disclosures of the invention have been made herein, it is to be understood that structural details may be variously changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a portable filler device of the character described, a sealed fill supply container, a portable upright handle supporting a filler head engageable without sealing against a receptacle to be filled and having concentrically spaced filling and venting tubes extending therethrough and depending vertically a predetermined distance below the filler head :for projecting into a receptacle, valve means carried by the handle and engageable over the lower ends of the tubes or removable therefrom to simultaneously close or open both said tubes, a filler duct connecting the filler tube with the container, an air venting duct connecting the venting tube with the container at a high point therein, and a check valve in the vent duct and closeable by liquid owing through the venting tube into the venting duct from a filled receptacle.

2. A filler device as defined in claim 1 wherein the filling and venting tubes terminate in a compositely formed ball socket, and wherein the valve means carried by the handle comprises a ball supported at the lower end of a rod which is vertically slidable in the handle, an actuator button also being carried by the rod in position for being readily depressible by a hand grasping the handle, and there also being included spring means for normally holding the valve in the tube closing, actuator button projectedposition.

3. A filler device as defined in claim l wherein there are included on the handle selective removable and replaceable spacer means for determining the distance of projection of the filling and venting tubes through and beyond the ller head into a receptacle to be filled.

4. A filler device as defined in claim l wherein the filler head has at least one air venting clearance in a face thereof presentable against receptacles to be filled and which is effective to prevent sealing contact of said filler head face against the receiving opening of a receptacle.

5. A filler device as defined in claim l wherein the handle has a rigid short length extension at its lower end in which the venting and filling ducts are formed and whereon is included a seal seat on which the container is threadably received in inverted position.

6. In a portable filler device of the character described,

a sealed fill supply container, a portable handle supporting a filler head engageable without sealing against a receptacle to be filled and having concentrically spaced filling and venting tubes extending therethrough and depending a predetermined distance below the filler head for projecting into a receptacle, valve means carried by the handle and engageable over the ends of the tubes or removable therefrom to simultaneusly close or open said tubes, a filler duct connecting the filler tube with the container, an air venting duct connecting the venting tube with the container at a high point therein, and a check valve in the vent duct and closeable by liquid flowing through the venting tube into the venting duct from a filled receptacle, said filler head being connected with the container through exible filling and venting ducts so that the handle and filler head can be readily moved about in the filling of receptacles while the container is held stationary.

7. In a portable filler device of the character described, a sealed ll supply container, a portable handle supporting a filler head engageable without sealing against a receptacle to be filled and having concentrically spaced filling and venting tubes extending therethrough and depending a predetermined distance below the filler head for projecting into a receptacle, valve means carried by the handle and engageable over the ends of the tubes or removable therefrom to simultaneously close or open said tubes, a l'ler duct connecting the filler tube with the container, an air venting duct connecting the venting tube with the container at a high point therein, and a check valve in the vent duct and closeable by liquid flowing through the venting tube into the venting duct from a filled receptacle, said filler head being connected with the container through exible filling and venting ducts s0 that the handle and filler head can be readily moved about in the filling of receptacles while the container is held stationary, and said venting duct being transparent so that an operator can observe completion of the ll by viewing closure of the check valve by contact of surplus ll liquid therewith.

References Cited in the fle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,815,348 Cox July 21, 1931 2,140,951 Bortz Dec. 20, 1938 2,319,517 Rand May 18, 1943 

